A NEW life in the Spanish sun or annual fortnight’s holiday on the Costas often ends in misery and fear for British women who are left battered and bruised by their violent partners.

Nearly a third of the arrests of Britons in the area over 12 months were for domestic assault or abuse, according to the British Consulate in Alicante, the capital of the popular Costa Blanca holiday coast.

Thirty British men from the area are serving prison sentences for domestic violence. Another six, including an alleged murderer, are in jail on remand awaiting trial.

The disturbing figures were discovered when British Consul Paul Rodwell examined the statistics for the period from April 2011 to March this year.

In that time, 550 Britons were arrested in an area which covers the three coastal provinces of Valencia, Murcia and Albacete.

“We were shocked when we found nearly a third of those detentions involved domestic violence,” Mr Rodwell told the Sunday Express.

“Nearly all arrests of British subjects are reported to us by the police but what we don’t have much inform­ation about is the victims. They need help and advice. That is our priority.”

We were shocked when we found nearly a third of those detentions involved domestic violence

British Consul Paul Rodwell

The area has the biggest concentration of British expatriates living in Spain – 43 per cent – with 174,000 registered with the local authorities. There are also 3.5 million holidaymakers a year.

Mr Rodwell said: “There are thousands of others who live here but have not registered. We estimate the total is probably about 330,000.” Alberto Martinez, of the Spanish Interior Ministry, said 200 British women have suffered domestic violence by their husbands or live-in boyfriends so far this year. Of those, 90 per cent had asked for and were given police protection.

In Spain, all men reported by their wives or girlfriends are prosecuted, even if they later withdraw their complaint. The same applies to women who abuse their male partners.

The British Consulate in Alicante, which is the busiest in the world, recently held a joint meeting with the Spanish authorities to discuss the problem.

“We want to get the message across that there is plenty of help out there for those who need it,” said Mr Rodwell. “There is a special domestic violence telephone hotline – 016 – which can be dialled from any phone. The call is free and there will be someone immediately available who will be able to speak to the caller in English.”

The British Consulate helps victims by accompanying them to the police station and translating for them. There are also British charities based in the area who can offer support and advice, including the Samaritans.

Spain’s economic crisis, which has seen unemployment rise to five million and property prices slump, has been linked to domestic violence.

Mr Rodwell said: “It may well be one of the causes behind the problem. There are British people living here who are affected by the situation.”

Comments Unavailable

Sorry, we are unable to accept comments about this article
at the moment. However, you will find some great articles
which you can comment on right now in our
Comment section.